Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff, New Jersey implemented a program in February that allows parents to prepay for students’ lunch by depositing money into an account, according to Wyckoff Suburban News. The goal of the plan is to ensure that students spend the money provided by their parents on food.
Parents can also track the habits of their students and see exactly what they’re eating for lunch. When a student pays for his lunch, they enter a PIN number into a machine, which brings up a photo and the name of the student on the register screen to prevent unauthorized spending or access to the account. The system is not mandatory, but nearly 150 students in the school have opted into the program.
There are no plastic ID cards given to students because of the threat of card loss or theft, but the technology used in the program is the same.
There has been some scrutiny aimed toward the program due to a 5.75 percent transaction fee charged when parents deposit money.
Eisenhower is currently the only school using the system, but others may decide to do so for next academic year if Eisenhower reports positive results.
The School Nutrition Association endorses the program and encourages more schools to adopt similar methods that encourage student to eat full lunches.
